JustinYoung

Key Players
SG Marvin Lewis Junior 10.9 ppg, 3.9 rpg, 1.8 apg 87.5% FT
PF/SF Ed Nelson Sophomore 8.5 ppg, 6.9 rpg, 50% FG
SG/PG B.J. Elder Sophomore 9.9 ppg, 2.1 rpg, 1.4 apg
SF Isma’il Muhammad Sophomore 7.1 rpg, 3.1 rpg, 1.2 apg
C Luke Schenscher Sophomore 4.8 ppg, 3.2 rpg, 58.7% FG
PF Chris Bosh Freshman
PG Jarrett Jack Freshman

Strengths: Despite not making it to the NCAA tournament or even the NIT, Georgia Tech finished the 2001-2002 on a good note. They won the last seven of nine conference games and eight of ten games overall which leaves the Yellow Jacket faithful longing for an even more impressive ACC campaign this season.

Graduating senior point guard Tony Akins leaves the program with his great outside touch and keen court awareness. Best of luck to ya Tony but folks in Atlanta don’t seem to worry. No offense.

With returning starters Marvin Lewis, Ed Nelson (ACC Freshman of the Year 2001-2) and B.J. Elder (ACC All Freshman team) coming back, the Yellow Jackets have a good young core of capable starters in the ACC. Add to that, a top recruiting class and several improved underclassmen, this year’s squad should pick up where they left off in ’01-’02.

“I think we’ll be much improved in all areas – shot blocking, perimeter defense, guys stepping in and taking a charge,” Head coach Paul Hewitt said. Don’t forget depth too.

Player Reports
Marvin Lewis is the silent star for Georgia Tech. He has started 60 games the past two years, the same number as the rest of the Jackets’ roster combined. He is also the top returning three-point shooter in the ACC at 39%. Proving his ability to really shoot the ball, Lewis has only missed 16 free throws in his young two-year career (109-125, 87%).

He’ll be asked to do a lot from the get go. Mostly, he’ll be needed in the locker room. Akins was the leader, the elder statesman of the team last year. This is where Lewis’ 60 starts come into play. His on-the-floor experience will benefit the team the most.

Ed Nelson will likely move over to the small forward spot at times with freshman Chris Bosh now in a Yellow Jacket uniform. Nelson has the same intangibles as former Tech great Matt Harpring. If wearing kneepads on his elbows aren’t a big enough clue. He isn’t afraid to get on the floor after the ball. He’ll need to improve his outside touch and dribbling in order to become a force.

B.J. Elder is a quiet killer. Hewitt calls him “the most complete of the sophomores in terms of defense, offense, ability to shoot and handling the ball.” He’ll need to be more vocal and establish himself as a leader of this young team.

Behind or beside Elder is the impressive freshman Jarrett Jack. By the time Jack leaves Georgia Tech, there would have only been three starting point guards in the last ten years to lead the Jackets. Taking over for Tony Akins (another four year starter who took Travis Best’s starting role), Jack has some big shoes to fill.

Hewitt feels very confident in Jack’s ability to lead the team as a freshman. Becoming the on court leader is a tough job, especially in the ACC. Hewitt accredits Jack’s time at a prep school to his ability to handle a tough assignment.

Jack is a strong point guard. Physically he looks like an upperclassman. His aggressiveness allows him to get to the basket without a lot of restrictions. Unlike Elder, Jack is a vocal leader and isn’t afraid to say what needs to be said. That is a good balance for the Jackets.

Chris Bosh is Tech’s most promising freshman since Stephon Marbury in 1995-6. The Texas prep player of the year is one of the best collegiate rookies in the country. He gives the Jackets much needed depth and a definite scoring threat at the post. Nelson did a wonderful job but he won’t a primary scoring option, Bosh will now be the scorer.

The left handed shooter led high school team, Dallas Lincoln, to a 40-0 record and was ranked the best team in the country numerous major publications. Bosh was also a McDonald’s All American.

7-1 Luke Schenscher slowly became a decent player in the heavy rotation. He fills the paint fairly well. His long arms make opposing teams think twice about penetrating. Schenscher was in China over the summer with the Australian Boomers national team.

The three incoming freshmen (Bosh, Jack and 6-9 Theodis Tarver) had a chance to get acquainted with each other over the summer at the Global Games in Dallas, Texas. The trio played an integral part in the US’s quest to win the event. Bosh was named the tournament’s Co-MVP.

Isma’il Muhammad is an amazing athlete. Like Bosh, Muhammad is a left-handed shooter who improved his outside touch over the summer. He’ll be needed one the defensive end by grabbing more rebounds and containing the opposing small forward. Muhammad could really shine if he becomes a better slasher and maximizes his ability to attack the basket.

Quietly and somewhat surprising Tech added Swedish small forward/shooting guard Jim Nyström before the school year started. He was named “one of the five best shooting guards in Sweden" by Eurobasket.com.

Weaknesses: Tech is still an inexperienced team. With a total of eight players being freshmen and sophomores (who are all very involved in the ten man rotation), the Jackets will need to grow up quickly. Someone must step up and assume the leadership role. Lewis is the prime candidate for the spot right now…As eluded to earlier, Hewitt will have to carefully run his ten man rotation in order to make sure everyone on the team is contributing without becoming too selfish and worrying about playing time.

Offensively, they will need to improve their ACC worst field goal percentage of 42%. Turnovers were a problem for the young Jackets last year as well. They gave the ball up 16 times per contest on average…With Akins graduating, Tech will have a gaping hole in their productive perimeter offense. They finished second behind Duke in three pointers made in a game…As a team, Tech led the ACC in three point percentage.

Defensively, Tech has a big area of concern. Due to their lack of size in the post, they gave up a high percentage of interior shots. To their defense though, the ACC produced five post players that were drafted by NBA teams in June 2002…With the addition of Bosh and Tarver, the Jackets should improve right away…“If there is one area that I think we will see the most improvement in, it will be the defensive end of the floor,” Hewitt said. The Jackets are 20-1 when holding the opposition under 40% in the last two seasons under him.

Key Games:
11/27/02 Georgia
12/4/02 @Minnesota
12/15/02 Tennessee (@Phillips Arena)
12/21/02 @Syracuse
12/29/02 @Maryland
1/11/03 NC State
1/19/03 @Wake Forest
1/25/03 @Duke
1/29/03 UNC
2/1/03 Virginia
2/9/03 Maryland
2/12/03 @NC State
2/20/03 Wake Forest
2/26/03 Duke
3/1/03 @UNC
3/5/03 @Virginia

2003 Recruiting commitments: None as of 9-26-02